Purina On Virgin Mary-Esque Packaging: They "Reflect The Close Bond Between The Consumer And Their Pet."

By consumerist.comApril 24, 2007

We received a response tonight to the inquiry we sent Purina on 4/09/07 asking if there was any truth to the rumors (which we spread) that the recurrent “Woman And Kitty” imagery that bedecks numbers of their pet food packages seemed to recall, if not draw directly from, the “Madonna And Child” motif (undoubtedly to serve manipulative marketing ends).

We wrote:

Dear Purina,

Me and my kitty love Purina Naturals! It’s the purrrfect fuel for keeping her coat lustrous and her eyes shiny.

I was looking around at other Purina brands on the website and I noticed a lot of the packages show a female cradling a cat. I’m fond of religious art history and couldn’t help but notice that it sorta looks like those Madonna and Child paintings. Is there any truth to that?

Either way, Mittens thinks Purina Naturals is heavenly!

They responded:

Thank you for contacting Nestl

Purina PetCare Company.

We appreciate your patience while we investigated your inquiry. We have been in contact with the appropriate individuals within the company and have been advised that the images are intended to reflect the close bond between the consumer and their pet.

We hope this information is helpful and that you will let us know if you have any other questions.